Of primary importance in the art of fiber rejuvenation is the ability to restore fabric to a new state.
All fabrics, which are considered for rejuvenation, have gone through a series of chemical treatments prior processing for end use whether their origin is post-industrial scrap from textile cutting room floors, non-woven scrap cuttings, yarns from spinners or previously used textiles. These chemical processes may be as simple as a bleaching technique or as complex as starches or chemicals which set color and/or change texture, as well as intricate finishes which improve overall fabric performance such as ballistic finishes, flame retardants, silicones, cool technology and the like. When creating fibers of like quality from these scrap materials, it is important to bring them back to a virgin state by cleansing the surface chemicals from the fabric pieces.
Traditional means of cleansing fabrics for continued production are systems that “wash and dry” the fabrics, yarn or materials such as large vats for immersion or industrial washing machines followed by commercial gas or electric drying methods. Typical wash-and-dry methodology has proven to be environmentally hazardous and unsustainable. Moreover, wash-and-dry treatments add unnecessary cost to the process. In a wash-and-dry method described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,378,179, enzymes are applied either by means of a high pressure wash or a bath in order to alter the surface properties of the fibers and render them hydrophilic if high absorbency is required in a hydroentangled product. Not only is this procedure extremely harsh to the fibers, but the resources expended in water and energy (process speed, appropriate drying, etc.) makes this approach costly and environmentally unsustainable. Yet another disadvantage to the wash-and-dry method is that many fibers such as rayon, kapok, silk and PLA are unable to sufficiently tolerate water baths, however, the fact remains that their finishes must still be removed.